Header Ads

Breaking News

The 30,000 Keys of Baldpate Inn

In 1913, American novelist Earl
Derr Biggers penned a comedic mystery novel titled “Seven Keys to
Baldpate”, that became so famous that it inspired as many as seven film
adaptation, and a smash Broadway stage play of the same name. It also
inspired Gordon and Ethel Mace to borrow the catchy name, as well as the
theme of the story, for their mountain hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.
“Seven
Keys to Baldpate” is a story about a writer who attempts to write a
novel within 24 hours. Seeking some peace and seclusion, the novelist
travels to remote summer mountain resort named Baldpate Inn, in the dead
of winter, and locks himself in, believing he has the only key. But all
throughout the night, visitors keep barging in through the door—seven
times in all. Everyone had a key to the Baldpate Inn.Hundreds of keys with labels hang from the rafters in the Baldpate Inn's famous Key Room. Photo credit: Simon Gibson/Flickr
The
Mace family not only named the inn Baldpate, they also tried to keep
with story line and gave each visitor to the Inn their very own key.
This tradition continued until the outbreak of World War I, when the
price of metal became so expensive that the Maces were unable to give
away keys. Instead, loyal visitors who returned year after another
started leaving keys behind. Soon guests began to compete with each
other—who could bring the most exotic key.
Today, among the 30,000
keys the Maces had collected from guests, there are keys to the
Pentagon, Westminster Abby, Mozart’s wine cellar, Frankenstein’s castle
and Hitler’s desk, to name a few. The keys are meticulously categorized
and numbered like at the library. The "famous" keys are in display
cases, and thousand of other keys are organized by state. An internet
blog also offers insight into the collection by highlighting interesting
specimens.
Photo credit: Baldpate Inn
Photo credit: Simon Gibson/Flickr
Photo credit: Nora Lockshin/Wikimedia
Photo credit: Simon Gibson/Flickr
Photo credit: Dave Dugdale/Flickr

The 30,000 Keys of Baldpate Inn
Reviewed by photofun4ucom
on
March 22, 2018
Rating: 5